


On Silent Wings

by molmcmahon



Series: Harry Potter in Assassin's Creed [13]
Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Assassin's Creed: Origins, Gen, Harry and Bayek bond over having bird friends, Master of Death Harry Potter, Pre-Relationship, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:40:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27396607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molmcmahon/pseuds/molmcmahon
Summary: “Explore a tomb with me,” Bill Weasley had said. “It’ll be fun,” he had said. Yeah, if fun meant getting thrown back in time, than yeah. Harry was having a lot of fun.
Series: Harry Potter in Assassin's Creed [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550224
Comments: 6
Kudos: 225





	On Silent Wings

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own either HP or Assassin's Creed.

Bayek traced the writing on the tomb with gentle fingers, looking it over, and then looked throughout the tomb itself. He had seen many odd things in his journey over the past few months, to kill the members of the Order of Ancients, but this… There was a slight glow to the writing and just as he turned around, to head back out of the pyramid itself, the tiny glow became loud and huge, growing to encompass the whole of the tomb. It was bright and even shone through his eyelids as he closed his eyes against it.

He scrambled back as the stone and brick in front of him trembled, hearing Senu scream outside. Bayek could practically feel her worry for him as he moved, sheathing his sickle sword and making sure his bow was unstrung. He ended up at the corner of the tomb, shielding his eyes as he rolled, pressing his hands over his eyes. 

The glow continued to radiate through the temple for several minutes and then Bayek heard a thump as something landed on the brick in front of him. The bright, white light slowly but surely abated, leaving darkness to surround Bayek once more. He quickly padded over back to the door behind him, where a torch was, and picked it up, lighting it on fire and narrowed his eyes, drawing partially on his relationship with Senu to aid in his vision.

The screech of what sounded like an owl was the first indicator of something amiss and the body that lay directly in front of the tomb made Bayek pause. The owl screeched again and drew Bayek’s attention to the corner of the room, where the bird had been… thrown? The man groaned and turned over, throwing an arm over his eyes.

Bayek dropped his hand to the hilt of his sword at his waist and took a step towards the man, as the man flopped down on the stone floor. He took another step, cautious, and finally peered down into the man’s eyes, taking in the pale skin and messy black hair.

Bright green eyes looked into his and Bayek blinked, as the man opened his mouth and spoke a word. The scar on the man’s forehead drew his attention even more, as Bayek traced it with his eyes, reminding him of a lightning bolt that came with occasional winter storms or lightning in the desert. The man looked to be around the same age as Bayek, perhaps in his late twenties, muscular and tall. 

The man spoke a few more words and Bayek shook his head, not recognizing the language or the accent. Maybe the man was from Rome? Bayek took a step back as the man stretched and sat up, their eyes locking briefly before he watched as the man’s eyes widened, almost frantically.

“Hedwig!”

Bayek started a little, rocking back on the heels of his feet, as the man looked around for… A soft noise of worry left the man’s throat as he saw the bird in the corner of the room and Bayek followed the man with his eyes, as he walked over to the owl. It was a beautiful bird, a gleaming white owl with flecks of black in her feathers, but one of the owl’s wings lay on the floor, broken and useless. The bird huddled in the corner of the tomb, its eyes gleaming a beautiful golden color.

The man slowly approached the owl, his arms at his sides, and knelt before the bird, talking quietly in his language. Bayek raised an eyebrow and closed the distance, to sit down next to the man. He pondered what he knew of the language that Caesar spoke and then spoke in that one.

“Who are you?”

The man jumped a little, like he had forgotten Bayek was even in the room, and turned to look at him. The man’s green eyes narrowed and then widened, as he took in a deep breath and spoke a word under his breath.

“Can you understand me? That was Latin you spoke, right?”

Bayek blinked but nodded, looking between the man and the bird. “Yes. That was the Roman language. You are speaking Latin when you were not a minute ago.”

“Translation spell. Where… This is the same tomb,” the man muttered, shaking his head. “At least I think it is. Who are you?”

“I am Bayek, of Siwa. And you?”

“Harry.”

Bayek met Harry’s eyes, staring at the man. “How do you mean translation spell?”

Harry stared back at him, his mouth opening and then closing as he ran a hand through still messy hair. “Fuck. Do you really… Forget it. I’ll think about that later.  _ Hedwig _ .”

Bayek watched as Harry turned back to the owl, his arm reaching out to gather the owl towards him. “Careful, Harry. Your bird may not--”

“She knows me,” Harry interrupted, his eyes still on the owl. “You wouldn’t happen to know where a veterinarian is, would you?”

“What is that?”

The white owl toddled into Harry’s arms, letting the man pick her up, emitting tiny shrills of pain as she moved. Bayek’s heart clenched in his chest, reminded of Senu’s injury several years back. 

“I know how to bind her wing,” Bayek offered, seeing the tense apprehension in Harry’s eyes. “My eagle was injured a few years back. An owl and an eagle are not that different.”

Harry turned to look at him, his eyes widening a little bit. “You have an eagle?”

“Senu is her name. Come. Let us go back to my home and I shall take a look at your friend,” Bayek said, gesturing back out through the tomb. “Your bird is quite beautiful.”

Harry smiled gratefully and nodded. “Lead on then and thank you.”

Bayek studied Harry closely for a second, taking in the man’s strange clothing, and then turned and headed out of the tomb. He could hear Harry behind him, padding through the tomb on silent feet that almost mirrored Bayek’s own steps. There was no other sound as they walked except the quiet little sounds of Harry’s owl. 

Harry also did not have any trouble following him out, through the narrow and tiny passage ways that Bayek walked. On certain parts, they walked side by side in quiet but companionable silence. As soon as Bayek stepped out into the sun, Harry stopped and stood beside him, his eyes wide. The sun was slowly falling in the sky, lighting everything up with brilliant hues of red and almost purple.

“It’s beautiful,” Harry whispered, awe written into every piece of his body. The owl too was staring at everything, intent on the land below them. There was intelligence in the bird’s eyes, just like what Bayek saw in Senu’s and just as he thought about his own bird, the screech of an eagle heralded her arrival.

Senu flew down from the top of the pyramid, her wings outstretched and beautiful. Bayek laughed and extended his arm for her, rocking back on the heels of his feet as she slowly but surely landed on him. Harry’s eyes widened even more at the sight of Senu, of her golden wings and brown feathers.

“Whoa. She’s… gorgeous,” Harry muttered, meeting Senu’s eyes before looking at Bayek. “How… Are you a… No, you’re not. You’d know about spells. Who are you and… how did you make it up the side of a pyramid?”

“I climbed,” Bayek offered, his lips twitching up into a grin at Harry’s bemused look.

“You climbed,” Harry repeated faintly, taking a step to the edge and looking down. Bayek saw Senu peer at the owl in Harry’s arms, the eagle’s eyes narrowing. “It’s… high up.”

“You have trouble with heights?”

“No. I’d be an awful quidditch player if I did. I don’t…” Harry trailed off, shaking his head. “I don’t see Bill anywhere. Where is this? Or… When is this?”

“That is Memphis,” Bayek explained, pointing to the east, to the small town that was now home to the first bureau of Hidden Ones. He noted the strange word that Harry had spoken of, ‘quidditch’, and frowned slightly. “You are not from around here.”

“No, I’m not. Are you sure you don’t mind me joining you?”

“Not at all. Besides, your owl needs her wing tended to.”

Harry nodded, his eyes turning to look Senu over. Senu looked back at Harry and the man smiled a little. “It’s… freeing in the air.”

Bayek raised an eyebrow, his shoulders loosening a little at the man’s words. He felt free too, when he took a leap of faith off towers and buildings. “Senu feels the same and so do I. Come, it’s this way.”

Harry smiled and then blinked as Bayek stepped over the ledge, angling his feet to slide down the pyramid’s wall. 

“Bayek?!”

“What the fuck. Fine. I’ll do it my way. Hedwig… move onto my shoulder. We’re going to fly.”

Hedwig chirped quietly , pain audible in her voice, and moved slowly up his arm, her left wing hanging uselessly at her side. Harry felt her claws dig into his skin and then pulled out his broom, resized it and spelled himself invisible to everyone else but Bayek and Senu. He pulled some magic and threw some out to touch the man and the eagle, then flew up into the air. 

The Egypt that he had landed in was not the Egypt that he had first traveled to with Bill and Fleur. The town that Bayek was leading them to was… small and low, not made of asphalt and cement but of stone and wood. Sand was everywhere, even in the slight breeze that he encountered as he flew. He could see Bayek’s eyes widen as the man saw them, as Harry flew down to hover beside the man as he slid down the pyramid. 

Bayek himself was… unlike any other man Harry had ever met, quiet and so contained. Bayek’s brown eyes were soft though Harry could see a hint of steel within, see the armor that was well cleaned curling around the man like a second skin. The armor was just a breastplate and a pair of bracers at his wrists, along with a quiver of arrows slung over the man’s shoulder and a bow, unstrung but very sturdy looking. A wicked looking sword was strapped to Bayek’s waist, sheathed, but Harry got the feeling that it had seen much use.

Bayek’s dark hair was pulled back and to the side in a tail, some of the strands themselves bound together. The clothing that hid his form looked soft and well made, not rich by any means, but comfortable and worn. Dirt and sand were lightly sprinkled over the material and Harry could swear that there were a few drops of blood as well.

The breeze that wafted through the air brought with it the smells of a village or a city. Sewage, human and animal waste, fetid water and smoke from fires. He could see streams of water running through parts of the city, with clearly marked passages that people waded through. There were no phone lines, no skyscrapers, nothing that said that Harry was in the same time that he had just been in twenty minutes ago. 

His heart skipped several beats as he pondered what had happened. One minute he had found a symbol that was in parseltongue and laying his hand over it and the next… A white light had exploded throughout the tomb, throwing him… apparently through time and space to another tomb, along with Hedwig. And to where Bayek of Siwa was.

He sighed and rolled his eyes before following Bayek the rest of the way down, his eyes wide as he watched the man move. Bayek was not wasting any energy in unnecessary movements. There were no jerky muscle movements, no limb out of place as they finally made it to the sandy floor of the desert around them.

Harry slowly landed and dismounted from his broom, hearing Bayek whistle. Senu the eagle had flown into the air the moment Bayek had stepped over the edge and just now came flying back, as a camel came racing over. A camel with a saddle on its back and saddle bags. 

“What are you?” Bayek questioned, his dark eyes narrowing. “You fly as if you were born in the air.”

“Thank you, I think,” Harry said, as the camel turned to eye him. “I… I don’t know if I can tell you what I am but… I don’t particularly care at the moment. I’m a wizard.”

Bayek blinked and rocked back on the heels of his feet. “A wizard.”

“I can use magic. Spells and such.”

“Have you ever used magic to make someone obey?” Bayek questioned, his eyes narrowing. His left hand flexed and Harry’s eyes were drawn to the absence of Bayek’s ring finger, making him wonder what had happened. 

“No. Well… once. A couple of years ago. It was… something that I never want to do again,” Harry offered, shrugging, seeing Bayek’s eyes darken in thought. “Did something… happen to you?”

“It was not magic but… a relic,” Bayek remarked, reaching out for the reins of the camel. “I trust you will not do that in the city.”

“No. I promise I will not. I don’t even know if there are my kind of wizards or witches here,” Harry said, watching as Bayek jumped up onto the saddle of the camel. “But yeah. That’s dark magic. I mean… I’ve killed someone but using a spell to control people… Not my thing even if they’re… idiots.”

Bayek’s lips curled up into a small grin, making Harry want to do something stupid like kiss the man. “Have you ever ridden a camel?”

“No. I can say for certain I have never ridden a camel. I’ve ridden a hippogriff but they’re very different animals,” Harry said, as he miniaturized his broom and tucked it away.

Bayek raised an eyebrow and Harry grinned a little. “Half horse, half eagle. Very proud.”

“Senu’s a proud girl,” Bayek said, smiling and peering up to where Senu was circling above them in the air. Harry closed the distance between him and the camel and placed Hedwig on the back of it, behind where he himself would be sitting, and Hedwig chirped quietly, fluttering her one good wing, as if saying to get on with it. “We are a good team. You and Hedwig appear to be a good team as well.”

Bayek reached a hand down to him and Harry hesitantly took it, feeling the calluses on Bayek’s palm. Bayek flexed his wrist and easily pulled him up, setting Harry down behind him. Harry sucked in a breath at the ease of the manhandling and settled down into the saddle, cradling Hedwig in his arms.

“We are a good team, aren’t we, girl?” Harry whispered, stroking her back as Bayek urged his camel to a walk and then a trot. Hedwig nestled into his arms, lightly squeezed between him and Bayek’s back. “She saved my life back when I was 17.”  _ And died for it. _

Harry scratched under Hedwig’s good wing and she crooned, peering up at him. The Master of Death. Death had given him back Hedwig a year after the battle of Hogwarts as a gift, saying something about his first friend being very… persistent. Harry had truly smiled that day, seeing Hedwig again and knowing that she would be with him for all his adventures.

“Senu’s saved mine quite a few times,” Bayek replied, raising his voice a little bit to be heard over the clopping of the camel. 

As they started off, they passed men on horse back that were dressed in formal outfits that looked military. Military and… Roman? Or at least Harry thought they were Roman. He hadn’t taken much in the way of non magical history and none in Egyptian history. He figured though that he could ask Bayek about it later.

“Do you share a closer bond with her?” Bayek asked, as they rode through stone pillars and over a hill, to look out over the city of Memphis. “Senu and I share a bond that I have not heard of anyone else sharing.”

“What kind of a bond?”

“I can look through her eyes,” Bayek offered, as they cantered down the hill and onto a sandy path. 

Harry blinked, idly petting Hedwig as they rode through what he thought was ancient Egypt. “I don’t share that kind of bond with Hedwig but… maybe…”

Hedwig chirped and stared at him intently, nibbling on his fingers like she was scolding him. Harry laughed and reached out to grasp onto Bayek’s armor as they rode over rough terrain. He could feel the warmth that radiated from the man and his heart thumped loudly in his chest, electricity passing through his fingers as thoughts flashed through his mind.

  
  


* * *

The sun was mostly down when Bayek pulled the camel to a stop, right outside his bureau. People walked by behind them, going home from their day’s work. Soldiers passed and paid no mind to the building that Bayek had made home. Senu flew over past them and circled down through the hole on the roof into Bayek’s apartment.

The paint on the roof of the building had just dried a few days ago, marking the building as the home of the Hidden Ones. 

“Who are the soldiers that go by?” Harry questioned as Bayek dismounted first. “They’re not… Roman, are they?”

“They are Cleopatra’s men,” Bayek explained, offering a hand to help Harry down. The man took his hand easily and jumped down, before lifting Hedwig from her perch on the camel’s rear. “The Queen has moved on from Memphis but her men are still here. Come. My home is just through here.”

Harry nodded and cradled Hedwig in his arms as he followed Bayek over the sandy path and to the door. Bayek hoped to have a business front as a cover for the bureau but no one had provided an answer yet. Perhaps an artist or a chef or… something that Bayek approved of, someone that would have to be aware of the Hidden Ones. 

“Cleopatra… As in Queen Cleopatra of Egypt? As in…” Harry trailed off, his green eyes widening as they walked through the hallway. Bayek watched as he looked around at the building around them, eying each and every window and door as they passed them. “I really have traveled through time then. Huh.”

“You… traveled through time.”

Bayek was glad that his apprentices were out of town at the moment. He wanted to question Harry in private, get to know the man a little more, and of course help his bird. He traced the hidden blade with his thumb and then gestured to a door on the right, watching as Harry preceded him through it. 

“It’s nothing new for me, at least time travel anyway. But I didn’t… have a time turner with me this time so… And I felt like I was being pulled here on purpose. Pulled here through space and time too. I don’t… Bayek, I was the only man you saw, right? There was no one else in that tomb but me?”

“No. You were the only one I found. Here. Put Hedwig on the table and there should be a smaller torch somewhere. I will need light and bandages and some wood to splint her bone.”

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw one of the stray cats that had made their home in the bureau slink into his small hovel, meowing loudly to announce their presence. Bayek smiled and leaned down to stroke its’ fur before walking over to the bucket by the door.

“I am going to go fetch some water,” Bayek said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“You’re a cat person then,” Harry commented, smiling a little as their eyes met.

“Yes, I am fond of cats and they’re fond of me. They’re quiet.”

Harry nodded and swallowed, a little hint of something in his eyes. “You could call me a cat person as well. Though I mean it in a different way.”

Hedwig chirped, louder than Bayek had heard before, amusement in her eyes.

“Hedwig, do not… Ugh. Bloody bird,” Harry retorted, scowling and rolling his eyes. “I’ll get some light and some bandages.”

Bayek raised an eyebrow.

“She knows me very well,” Harry offered, flicking Hedwig on her beak lightly. 

* * *

  
  


When Bayek came back in through the door, there was a ball of light hanging over the table in the center of the room. It was a soft light, with a slightly blueish glow, that illuminated the room nicely enough. Hedwig stood on the middle of the table, her eyes tracking his every movement.

There were cloth bandages by her side and a knife tucked on top of the cloth, just waiting to be used. A stack of sticks also sat on Hedwig’s other side and Harry shrugged at Bayek’s look.

“I wasn’t sure what size of wood you would need,” Harry said, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve never splinted a bird’s wing before.”

“I haven’t either but a friend of mine, Rabiah, taught me how to take care of Senu,” Bayek offered. “And she was a good teacher.” 

“You’ll have to talk me through what you do,” Harry said, as Bayek dropped the half full bucket of water next to the table. “She trusts me so she should trust you too.”

Hedwig hooted quietly and they all watched as Senu came flying in through a window to the west, landed right next to Hedwig and started to groom the owl’s feathers. Harry’s lips twitched into a smile and Bayek hummed in amusement.

“Senu, old girl, you’ve made a friend.”

Senu whistled distractedly and Hedwig turned to look into the eagle’s eyes, lifting her one good wing to nudge Senu. Bayek grinned and got to work, measuring Hedwig’s wing with his eyes and picked up a few pieces of cloth. He didn’t even bother picking up the knife but triggered his hidden blade to cut the cloth into the right length. He heard Harry suck in a tight breath but otherwise ignored the man as he dipped a piece into water and lightly cleaned the wound.

Hedwig hooted and met his eyes as he cleaned her wing. There wasn’t too much dried blood, if at all, but there was visible bone sticking out in a place where it shouldn’t have been. 

“This will hurt, dear one,” Bayek whispered, stroking Hedwig’s feathers.

Hedwig bent her head as if nodding and Bayek nudged the bone back into place, seeing Harry stroking Hedwig’s feathers in reassurance. Senu also clicked and whistled, grooming Hedwig’s feathers like mated birds would. As soon as the bone was in the proper position, Bayek pulled a piece of wood and cloth together and bound Hedwig’s wing in place, explaining his moves as he worked.

He could feel drops of sweat roll down his forehead and back but he stood back, making sure everything was alright. Harry met his eyes and stared at him, gratitude visible.

“ _ Thank you _ ,” Harry whispered, his eyes dropping to Bayek’s left hand and the blade. 

“You are welcome, Harry of…”

“Uh… England, I suppose. Though I’m not too sure if England is a country right now. You can just call me Harry.”

“Just Harry?” 

Harry nodded, still meeting Bayek’s eyes. “Just Harry.”

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished the main quest of AC Origins today and boy, that was fun. I fell in love with Bayek in the first 15 minutes of game play and Aya as well. Now to wait for AC Valhalla when it comes out on the 10th!


End file.
